Yesterday – Sunday, the 18th of April – at Talia’s Steakhouse, [668 Amsterdam Avenue (between 92nd & 93rd Streets) New York; NY 10025; Telephone: 212.580.3770] Rabbi Yaakov Spivak spoke on the opening paragraph of Pirkey Avos and tied it in with today’s relationship between Israel and the US.

Rabbi Yaakov Spivak making a point...

Talking about the nature of the Spiritual World, Rabbi Spivak said: “The World To Come is a world of Chessed, kindness and concern for others. As much as Joseph’s brothers’ act of selling him may have been justified in the eye’s of some of the commentaries, the Zohar tells us that their souls were reincarnated into the ten great Rabbis of Rabbi Akiva’s time [tortured and murdered by the Romans], so that martyrdom would free them from what they did. Betrayal is the ultimate anti-Chessed act! That is why the sight of eighty percent of American Jews’ uninformed support for the White House’s attempt to restrict Israel from building in Jerusalem is so distressing.”

A partial view of the audience (of all ages) listening intently. Effie Nagar - Talia's owner, in blue shirt - sits against the back wall.

The food was quite good and fairly priced. What made it all the more attractive, however, was the 50% discount for anyone who attended Rabbi Spivak’s lecture. This lecture series will become a regular Sunday event starting on Lag Ba’Omer, which falls – this year – on May the 2nd.

Chef Victor, Talia’s new Executive Chef, combines 30 years of culinary experience with a passion and dedication that drives him to find the freshest and finest ingredients for the creation of his gastronomic delights.